The present invention relates to a unique handle-actuated, insulated air pot liquid decanter, which is compact, lightweight and easily transportable. This new liquid decanter allows the user to dispense liquids from an insulated container or vacuum flask through use of an internal pumping mechanism which is actuated by the rotation of the decanter's external handle. The handle-actuated, insulated air pot liquid decanter finds particular utility by providing the user with a relatively low cost, easily manufactured, insulated liquid decanter which safely transports and dispenses hot and cold liquids and whose pumping mechanism is easier to use than those employed by prior devices.
The present invention allows a consumer to utilize known air pot technologies with much less effort and safety than is the case with prior insulated liquid decanters. There currently exist a number of proposed insulated air pot decanters which utilize a pumping mechanism to dispense liquid from a container into a user's beverage cup. Most, if not all, such prior air pot liquid decanters utilize an "in-line button" to depress an internal bellows unit, which injects pressurized air into the insulated container vessel in order to displace the liquid residing therein through a hollow tube and spout into a user's beverage cup.
The use of an in-line button assembly requires the user to exert a significant amount of force in order to depress the internal bellows unit and obtain a decanting of the liquid. Therefore, the in-line button cannot be easily or safely used on all types of surfaces, by all types of persons. In addition, the force necessary to depress the in-line button found on most existing air pot liquid decanters usually requires the user to be in close proximity to the decanter itself. Moreover, the user of existing in-line button air pots is often hard pressed to adequately control the amount or velocity of the liquid flow. These factors create a safety concern, especially when hot liquids are being decanted, since splattering, or an overflow of a beverage cup, can bum the user or other bystanders, in addition to causing spillage.
The present handle-actuated, insulated air pot liquid decanter avoids the shortcomings found in these prior art devices. For instance, the mechanical advantage obtained by actuating the decanter's air pot pumping mechanism through use of its external handle is considerable. It is estimated that the handle lever mechanism used by the present invention requires three (3) to four (4) times less force from the user to pump liquid from the insulated decanter than do existing in-line button air pots. Therefore, the present invention can be utilized effectively and safely on a variety of surfaces by a wider variety of persons. The user does not always have to be in close proximity to the device, which can prevent injury caused by the splatter of hot liquids or the over-filling of beverage containers. In addition, the fact that less force is necessary to use the handle actuated insulated air pot decanter also means that the user can better control the amount and velocity of the flow of hot and cold liquids, thus increasing safety and reducing spillage.
The present invention also has several other advantages over prior insulated air pot liquid decanters. Many of the existing insulated air pot liquid decanters have no means of locking the pumping mechanism to prevent the unintended dispensing of hot or cold liquids, such as may occur during transport. The preferred embodiment of the handle-actuated, insulated air pot liquid decanter utilizes two distinct locking mechanisms which reduce spillage and render the present invention safe for transport and unattended storage. First, the pumping mechanism of the present invention is selectively engageable. In its preferred embodiment, the handle of the invention includes an integrally molded wide ring and elongated slot on each "leg" of the handle. When the pumping mechanism is disengaged, such as during transport, the cam shaft of the pumping mechanism rests on the wide rings of the handle, thus allowing the decanter to swing or move freely, without actuating the pumping mechanism. The pumping mechanism is engaged by placing downward pressure on the handle when it is in a vertical position, so that the pegs of the cam shaft cooperatively engage with the elongated groves in each "leg" of the handle. These grooves securely fasten the handle to the cam shaft, thus allowing the handle to rotate the cam shaft and actuate the pumping mechanism.
The second locking mechanism utilized by the preferred embodiment of the handle-actuated, insulated air pot liquid decanter consists of a plate which slides along a grove integrally molded into the top of the pump housing, until it engages with the cam shaft found in the pumping mechanism itself. In this way, the locking plate prevents the rotation of the cam shaft, and thus the inadvertent decanting of the liquid contained therein.
In addition, the present invention utilizes fewer and less complicated moving parts, and is thus easier and less costly to manufacture, maintain and use than many of the prior art devices.